how to get a fast zero-config (APIPA) IP address assignment at link start?

I would like to force a newly connected Ethernet link to use a zero-config
derived
IP address (aka APIPA) instead of DHCP assigned address (in other words the
169.256.xxx.xxx
link is preferred). There is a lot of info on the net about the
complementary case
of disallowing/defeating zero-config IP addresses, nothing that I have been
able
to find on for my situation.

The problem is that Windows serializes the link configuration through the
DHCP client
on Windows before attempting to any zero-config options. The DHCP client
requires
60-second timeout which is far too long to mobile product users to wait for
the link
to become "usable".

Does anyone know of a way to coersce the Windows DHCP client into stop and
allow
the zero-config to run? Any suggestion or hacks, gentle or harsh, are
solicited.

robin

This is relevant: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/220874. It suggests
that you configure the adapter to use an autonet address manually. You
might also consider putting a DHCP server on the network. This can be done
via Windows2003 Server, a cheap router, or 3rd part DHCP server software.

If you would, let me know about the scenario where you want to do this.
It seems like everywhere I go, there's a DHCP server ready. Maybe if I was
in a plane connecting straight to another person's laptop I might want to
use an autonet address. It wouldn't seem worth working around the delay in
this case.

--
Frank Schwieterman [MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

"robin" <> wrote in message
news:...
>I would like to force a newly connected Ethernet link to use a zero-config
>derived
> IP address (aka APIPA) instead of DHCP assigned address (in other words
> the 169.256.xxx.xxx
> link is preferred). There is a lot of info on the net about the
> complementary case
> of disallowing/defeating zero-config IP addresses, nothing that I have
> been able
> to find on for my situation.
>
> The problem is that Windows serializes the link configuration through the
> DHCP client
> on Windows before attempting to any zero-config options. The DHCP client
> requires
> 60-second timeout which is far too long to mobile product users to wait
> for the link
> to become "usable".
>
> Does anyone know of a way to coersce the Windows DHCP client into stop and
> allow
> the zero-config to run? Any suggestion or hacks, gentle or harsh, are
> solicited.
>
>
>

Frank Schwieterman [MSFT]

The problem is that this device is a mobile device and plugs into a host
WindowsXP machine via USB, and presents a NIC with a virtualized network
behind the NIC.

While its technically possible to run a DHCP server on this virtualized
network, this technique is seen as a barrier by corporate IT customers.
These customers generally do not want to see DHCP servers pop-up on their
networks turf.
This product technically extends the corporate network (some small amount),
and they see adding un-administrated DHCP servers as an administrative
problem. Each DHCP server represents the yet another security surface and
the potential for breach: its better to not use DHCP when zero-config would
suffice.

Our product doesn't really need an DHCP-dispensed address, just a valid IP
address, dispensed quickly at USB-plug-in-time.
Zero-config should work just fine as a substitute for DHCP in our case,
except for the 60-second wait for the Windows DHCP client to timeout.



"Frank Schwieterman [MSFT]" <> wrote in message
news:43d6d209$...
> This is relevant: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/220874. It suggests
> that you configure the adapter to use an autonet address manually. You
> might also consider putting a DHCP server on the network. This can be
> done via Windows2003 Server, a cheap router, or 3rd part DHCP server
> software.
>
> If you would, let me know about the scenario where you want to do this.
> It seems like everywhere I go, there's a DHCP server ready. Maybe if I
> was in a plane connecting straight to another person's laptop I might want
> to use an autonet address. It wouldn't seem worth working around the
> delay in this case.
>
> --
> Frank Schwieterman [MSFT]
>
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
> rights.
>
> "robin" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>>I would like to force a newly connected Ethernet link to use a zero-config
>>derived
>> IP address (aka APIPA) instead of DHCP assigned address (in other words
>> the 169.256.xxx.xxx
>> link is preferred). There is a lot of info on the net about the
>> complementary case
>> of disallowing/defeating zero-config IP addresses, nothing that I have
>> been able
>> to find on for my situation.
>>
>> The problem is that Windows serializes the link configuration through the
>> DHCP client
>> on Windows before attempting to any zero-config options. The DHCP client
>> requires
>> 60-second timeout which is far too long to mobile product users to wait
>> for the link
>> to become "usable".
>>
>> Does anyone know of a way to coersce the Windows DHCP client into stop
>> and allow
>> the zero-config to run? Any suggestion or hacks, gentle or harsh, are
>> solicited.
>>
>>
>>
>
>

robin

BTW, thanks for the pointer to the article.


"Frank Schwieterman [MSFT]" <> wrote in message
news:43d6d209$...
> This is relevant: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/220874. It suggests
> that you configure the adapter to use an autonet address manually. You
> might also consider putting a DHCP server on the network. This can be
> done via Windows2003 Server, a cheap router, or 3rd part DHCP server
> software.
>
> If you would, let me know about the scenario where you want to do this.
> It seems like everywhere I go, there's a DHCP server ready. Maybe if I
> was in a plane connecting straight to another person's laptop I might want
> to use an autonet address. It wouldn't seem worth working around the
> delay in this case.
>
> --
> Frank Schwieterman [MSFT]
>
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
> rights.
>
> "robin" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>>I would like to force a newly connected Ethernet link to use a zero-config
>>derived
>> IP address (aka APIPA) instead of DHCP assigned address (in other words
>> the 169.256.xxx.xxx
>> link is preferred). There is a lot of info on the net about the
>> complementary case
>> of disallowing/defeating zero-config IP addresses, nothing that I have
>> been able
>> to find on for my situation.
>>
>> The problem is that Windows serializes the link configuration through the
>> DHCP client
>> on Windows before attempting to any zero-config options. The DHCP client
>> requires
>> 60-second timeout which is far too long to mobile product users to wait
>> for the link
>> to become "usable".
>>
>> Does anyone know of a way to coersce the Windows DHCP client into stop
>> and allow
>> the zero-config to run? Any suggestion or hacks, gentle or harsh, are
>> solicited.
>>
>>
>>
>
>

robin

Sorry to be so slow getting back to this...

Did you consider configuring a static IP address? I imagine it might be
undesirable due to the configuration overhead, but I suspect the same amount
of configuration overhead would be expected to prevent the DHCP timeout.


--
Frank Schwieterman [MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


"robin" <> wrote in message
news:...
> The problem is that this device is a mobile device and plugs into a host
> WindowsXP machine via USB, and presents a NIC with a virtualized network
> behind the NIC.
>
> While its technically possible to run a DHCP server on this virtualized
> network, this technique is seen as a barrier by corporate IT customers.
> These customers generally do not want to see DHCP servers pop-up on their
> networks turf.
> This product technically extends the corporate network (some small
> amount), and they see adding un-administrated DHCP servers as an
> administrative problem. Each DHCP server represents the yet another
> security surface and the potential for breach: its better to not use DHCP
> when zero-config would suffice.
>
> Our product doesn't really need an DHCP-dispensed address, just a valid IP
> address, dispensed quickly at USB-plug-in-time.
> Zero-config should work just fine as a substitute for DHCP in our case,
> except for the 60-second wait for the Windows DHCP client to timeout.
>
>
>
> "Frank Schwieterman [MSFT]" <> wrote in
> message news:43d6d209$...
>> This is relevant: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/220874. It suggests
>> that you configure the adapter to use an autonet address manually. You
>> might also consider putting a DHCP server on the network. This can be
>> done via Windows2003 Server, a cheap router, or 3rd part DHCP server
>> software.
>>
>> If you would, let me know about the scenario where you want to do this.
>> It seems like everywhere I go, there's a DHCP server ready. Maybe if I
>> was in a plane connecting straight to another person's laptop I might
>> want to use an autonet address. It wouldn't seem worth working around
>> the delay in this case.
>>
>> --
>> Frank Schwieterman [MSFT]
>>
>> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
>> rights.
>>
>> "robin" <> wrote in message
>> news:...
>>>I would like to force a newly connected Ethernet link to use a
>>>zero-config derived
>>> IP address (aka APIPA) instead of DHCP assigned address (in other words
>>> the 169.256.xxx.xxx
>>> link is preferred). There is a lot of info on the net about the
>>> complementary case
>>> of disallowing/defeating zero-config IP addresses, nothing that I have
>>> been able
>>> to find on for my situation.
>>>
>>> The problem is that Windows serializes the link configuration through
>>> the DHCP client
>>> on Windows before attempting to any zero-config options. The DHCP client
>>> requires
>>> 60-second timeout which is far too long to mobile product users to wait
>>> for the link
>>> to become "usable".
>>>
>>> Does anyone know of a way to coersce the Windows DHCP client into stop
>>> and allow
>>> the zero-config to run? Any suggestion or hacks, gentle or harsh, are
>>> solicited.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

Frank Schwieterman [MSFT]